Dense cloud harbouring 'dozens' of solar systems
Monday, 30 Oct 2006 16:31
The 'snake' identified by Spitzer
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A dense, sooty cloud in the plane of the Milky Way identified by the Spitzer telescope could be thick enough to swallow dozens of solar systems, Nasa scientists have claimed.
Known as the snake due to its shape, its 'belly' in particular could hold stars in the process of forming.
Commenting on the discovery, Dr Sean Carey of Nasa's Spitzer Science Centre said: "The snake is an ideal place to hunt for massive forming stars as they have not had time to heat up and destroy the cloud they are born in."
Finding the cloud was only possible through the heat-seeking infrared vision of Spitzer; it remains invisible to optical telescopes.
Located about 11,000 light years away in the constellation of Sagittarius, the snake cloud is so thick with dust that if someone was standing in the middle of it they would not be able to see anything, including surrounding stars.
Scientists behind the discovery believe that it will help them to understand better how massive stars form.
By studying the clustering and range of masses of the stars in their early stages, they hope to discover whether they were born in the same way that our sun formed - out of a collapsing cloud of gas and dust - or whether they formed through another mechanism in which the environment plays a larger role.